READING, Ohio — Next week, residents in Reading will vote on a hotly debated bond levy to fund upgrades to the fire and police departments and Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The levy is 5.89 mills, which would cost homeowners a maximum of $206 per $100,000 of their home's market value annually over the next 28 years.
Mayor Robert Bemmes said the levy would fund a new building for the fire department and allow the police department to take over the current fire station.
He said the changes are long overdue because both departments operate out of the same building, causing overcrowding
“It will increase their response times, which is huge to us, for heart attacks, for strokes, seconds matter," Bemmes said.
Bemmes said money would also be used to upgrade part of City Hall.
“I don’t know if there’s ever been a levy that covered so many issues," Bemmes said.
WATCH: We visited Reading to learn more about the levy and why some residents are against it
In total, the levy would raise an estimated $25 million to $27 million. Safety Service Director Patrick Ross said the project can't exceed $27 million.
“No one likes to ask people to pay for things, but unfortunately, if you want to move into the future and move forward, you have to make big improvements," Ross said.
About $5 million would be used on the city-owned stadium. We've previously covered some people's push to upgrade the stadium.
Ross broke down roughly how much each upgrade will cost.
- Fire department: $10.6 million
- Police department: $2 million
- Administration building: $3.1 million
- Veterans Memorial Stadium: $5 million
- Engineering costs: $2.5 million
- Contingency funds: $4 million
Bemmes said much of the stadium is outdated.
"A lot of the plumbing fixtures inside are the same as 1967," Bemmes said.
Additional upgrades would include new bleachers, a new track and a turf field.
Bemmes said that if the levy fails, the stadium will likely have to be shut down.
"It's an investment in our future," Bemmes said.
But many residents, including Michele Naish, say the costs of the project are too steep.
“It’s too much," Naish said.
Naish is part of a group voting against the upcoming levy.
She said she feels the proposed levy was rushed and believes there was not enough public input.
“We were blindsided by this," Naish said. "I found out on Facebook, of all things.”
Driving through Reading, there are many signs that read "Vote NO on Issue 4" outside people’s homes.
Naish said a major issue for residents is the combination of funding upgrades for first responders and repairs to the stadium.
"Both are equally important, but compelling them together is an astronomical cost," Naish said.
Naish said she believes there was a lack of transparency from city leaders. She said most residents support police, firefighters and upgrades for kids to enjoy.
However, she said it is too much money all at once and believes the community needs to be more involved in finding a better solution.
“We really do want these things to happen, and we’d like to work with administration and the school to make it happen, just not together," Naish said.
